Going For The One, Again: Jon Davison of Yes (Interview)

Classic prog-rock band Yes have just announced that they will be playing Auckland’s Aotea Centre on November 10th. The last time they were in town was an historic day for the band…it was the first show with lead singer Jon Davison. This was back in April of 2012. Over the course of the following two years Davison has been accepted by long-term members Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Alan White and Geoff Downes…so much so that they are about to release a new album. Heaven And Earth will see the light of day later this year, but their show in November will find them playing two of their classics, Close To The Edge and Fragile, in their entirety. The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda spoke to Jon Davison and asked him about writing with his veteran bandmates and also about that first show in Auckland two years ago.

Click here to listen to the interview with Yes vocalist Jon Davison:

Or read a transcription of the interview here:

MD: Do you have any vivid memories of your first show with the band?

JD: It’s actually all a blur. Yeah I’ve tried to re-live that moment and I was just floating, you know, through the whole experience. Floating in a surreal, surreal dream really. It’s just a surreal dream.

(Check out the 13th Floor review of the Davison’s first Yes concert here)

MD: Right, Right. So obviously that’s two years ago so you’ve gotten used to the idea of being in the band and is it kind of what you expected or how is the experience been for you so far?

JD: Well yeah, it is. I mean, in the greatest way it’s pretty much what I expected but there’s a lot of baggage too that goes with it, you know. A lot of responsibility and in some ways it’s made my life more complicated…not that I would change any of it for the world…but to answer the question, in some ways it’s what you expect but there’s always, always complications that seem to test your patience, you know. It’s hard sometimes to be very calm and balanced.

MD: Right. I can imagine, well I imagine what you’re referring to is the fact that a lot of long term fans are very traditional and would love to have Jon Anderson with the band which obviously isn’t happening for whatever reason so. I assume that’s what’s been trying your patience. Is that what you were referring to?

JD: Actually no, I just meant like, just sort of, let’s see, I think I mean that life’s more complicated so you get a bit more restless, you know, like cause you get this great high being on stage and then when you’re not on stage, it’s like what do I do now, you know, like you have to acclimate that down to normal level so there’s always that extreme contrast in your day when you’re like on tour and then at home, sometimes its like, what do I do now? And you’re so tired coming off the road you feel, at least I do, I feel lethargic for about a week.

MD: Right.

JD: And then it’s kind of like it will build back up to a normal family or home life and then as soon as you start feeling settled it’s like, okay got to get into tour gear, tour mode, again because we’re off in a few days. It’s that kind of thing. It’s always this roller-coaster and it’s interesting but, you know, I’m learning to navigate through it all. I like to meditate and be very calm, my wife’s the same. We really value that, calm and quiet moments and all of that is constantly tested.

MD: And I know you were a fan of the band before you joined the band. Is there anything that you found particularly surprising that you learned about Yes and their music in the two years that you’ve been a member of the band that kind of took you by surprise?

JD: Well, I think that a lot of fans, myself included, tend to think that like, they planned so much to create this great music, that there was more of a mental awareness of it all or, you know, a contrived effort and it’s not that way. You know, it was truly an inspiration that flowed through them to create the classic works, Close to the Edge, Fragile, so on and so forth. It’s something almost that they can’t explain or even understand completely. It just was this flow and they were riding this wave of great creativity coming from a higher source and so in other words it’s helped me kind of separate the personality from the music. I think it’s hard for fans to do that sometimes but they’re just very…you know, for the most part we all have our eccentricities in our personalities but for the most part they’re very down to earth people and very easy to get along with and we’re all friends now. So, I’ve learned to kind of take them of the pedestal in a way and I still hold them there, with all due respect, musically speaking, but just in the day to day when we’re together as people, I’ve learned to just, you know, see them as normal people. That’s all they want, they want to be treated as anyone wants to be treated with respect and a sense of clarity and straightforwardness.

MD: And now speaking of inspiration and creativity, there is a new album on the horizon which is called Heaven And Earth, in which you have the opportunity now to write songs with these guys. What kind of experience has that been for you? From my understanding, you’ve written with each one of the band members individually. So what was it like, say to write with Steve Howe as opposed to Chris Squire?

JD: Yeah. It’s um, you know, it’s fun cause we enjoy each other as people so we would just hang out and I was just in their environment, absorbing that energy and kinda seeing how they live. As again, normal people, you know. So that was really exciting and then, of course to be in that environment and get very creative one on one and share a space, you know, it’s not just the stage but like a comfortable living room or, you know, just us two people, that was very fulfilling and very eye-opening to watch them work in a comfortable setting. Yeah, they’re all different individuals with different personalities obviously. So their work flow is a bit different, but I’m quite adaptable, I think I just sort of, you know, merged into their pace and their energy and what’s comfortable for them. I try to be very accommodating that way and as a result, everyone was comfortable and there was a lot of creativity flowing and a very productive time.

MD: Well I mean the band has been making music for, 40 – 45 years now and there’s been changes in styles, certainly the band’s output in the 70s differs greatly from what they did in the 80s and even more recently. So how would you describe for folks who haven’t heard anything from Heaven And Earth yet what this is gonna sound like?

JD: Well I think it touches on all the decades and all the different areas of Yes. Which is neat because, you know, I’m a fan of all of it, so I like to see that reflected in what we were producing together but there’s also a freshness about it because I think what’s kept them going is that they’ve always wanted to move forward, never wanted to rest on their laurels for too long, creatively venture out and find new ground and that’s what we endeavour to do with this album and I think we achieved it. I think there’s a freshness to this album that makes it unique from all the others as it should be.

MD: What will people hear that they haven’t heard on a Yes album before?

JD: Well, I kinda don’t wanna say exactly.

MD: Alright.

JD: Yeah, if you don’t mind. I just would like people to have an open heart and open mind and, you know, listen to it repeatedly and I think that will come through more accurately conveyed through the music rather than through what I can describe right now with mere words.

MD: Okay, and I believe you have Roy Thomas Baker as the producer on the record. Is that right?

JD: Yeah. RTD.

MD: Right and, I mean he’s known for his production with Queen and The Cars and he has a rather distinctive sound in his own right as a producer. So how did what he does kind of work with what Yes does?

JD: Well he’s still on fire, very passionate about getting, you know, the exact sound that he hears in his head and he brings in a lot of outboard analogue gear in to this, what was Paul Allen’s very high tech, up to date, state of the art digital studio. There was Roy also bringing to the balance things, a lot of analogue gear and so he has a method to his madness and he would hook up all these wires like a mad professor and just go at it and get the sweetest drum sound, even if it took him a day just to get drum sounds. I mean it was fine because the end result was so magnificent and I just stayed out the way as much as I could and just would sit in the back of the control room like a fly on the wall and take it all in and just watch him work, watch him weave his great magical spells and it was all reflected in the audio.

MD: How did he work with you on your vocals? Was he kind of the producer who was very hands on as far as when you were recording your vocals or did he kind of let you do what you do?

JD: Well no, he was very hands on, in terms of, you know, where I would stand in front of the mic and very hands on in terms of which mic that suited my voice and then when it came to actually tracking, he was very encouraging in the sense that he would try to pull from me as much emotion as possible. You know, to obviously derive from my performances in front of the mic, get as much accuracy as possible but just as important was the emotional aspect.

MD: Right.

JD: You know, to really be expressive and put a lot of personality into it and he was so good at helping me to do that, something that I’m still learning to do and I wanna get better at it. He was very much my guide in that respect.

MD: I believe you guys are coming back to Auckland.. I think it’s either later this year or beginning of next year the date hasn’t been announced yet…bBut when you do come what kind of show is it gonna be? Is It gonna be the kind of classic album that you’re gonna be playing or are you gonna be playing some of the new stuff, what can we expect?

JD: We’ll be playing some of the new stuff yeah, but in addition we’ll continue on with the full album theme. We’ve just now completed doing three albums, Close To The Edge, Going For The One and The Yes Album. This time around, which will now commence with the beginning of the summer tour in the US which begins in a few days, we will be doing Fragile in this entirety, Close To The Edge and again some new material and some other odds and ends, greatest moments kind of thing and that will carry us through for a while. I mean, we’ll be adding that on as well for the Australia, New Zealand and Japan tour.

MD: And do you have a favourite classic Yes album that you particularly are fond off?

JD: Well, I’m kind of a seasonal listener. So yeah, my favourite rotates constantly. Whatever mood I’m in and each classic album seems to set a different mood for me, so it works out quite well.

MD: I see. That’s very diplomatic of you, by the way. One other thing that I just wanted to touch on is, I know that you, that the band has been involved in these cruises where you go out for five days on like a Prog Rock festival on the sea and you have panels and whatever. May be you can just tell folks a little bit about what kind of environment and what kind of experience that is for the band to be involved in.

JD: Well it’s very unique being with the same group of people in this sort of utopian environment for four to five days. It’s like we’re on our on planet.

MD: Right.

JD: You know, the ocean is outer space and we’re just there floating and there’s so much harmony and I can speak for myself that I enjoy very much being, you know, on common ground, you might say, with the fans…

MD: Right.

JD: …you know, sharing space, sharing our environment and connecting with people on a more personal level. I actually enjoy that very much. I do confess it can get a little overwhelming, not because of any personality but just because it takes up most of your day…every moment in fact.

MD: Right.

JD: Apart from when you’re not sleeping of course but the rest of the time, you know, you’re constantly connecting with people which is a great thing but it can be a bit overwhelming.

MD: And what have you learned about Yes fans from experiences like that? Anything surprising?

JD: They’re very passionate, you know, and I understand cause I’ve been a Yes fan so we have so much to talk about, we relate see because I’m just like them, not much difference at all.

Click here for more details about the Auckland Yes show coming in November.